A Long December
by Hooded Kaio Ghost
Summary: A man with a gun attacks the hospital, leaving Chase and Cameron stranded with a patient and her mother. How will they survive when there is no way out?
1. Chapter 1

This is my first fiction piece based on House. It's an idea that has been in my head a very long time, so I figured it was time to set it free. I hope you enjoy it.

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_A long December and there's reason to believe  
Maybe this year will be better than the last  
I can't remember the last thing you said as you were leavin'  
Now the days go by so fast  
And it's one more day up in the canyons  
And it's one more night in Hollywood  
If you think that I could be forgiven... I wish you would_

_-A Long December, Counting Crows_

It was a regular Friday morning and Allison Cameron sat on a bench, sipping coffee and reading over a case file. The noise in the hospital bothered her, but she ignored it, waiting for House to come to work so they could start the newest case—which was very strange. A fifteen year old girl with no history of medical problems suddenly had a heart attack and nearly drowned. House was sure to be intrigued by this case.

"Why is it taking him so long?" Cameron wondered aloud. A thought struck her. "He doesn't want to be here, so why would he rush to be on time?" Cameron groaned and went back to studying the file. Just then, a man stumbled through the front doors of the clinic. He looked disheveled and confused and was wearing a long, black coat. Cameron looked at him and a sudden sick feeling hit her stomach.

"Who is he?" She wondered again.

The man looked around as if he was trying to find someone. Just then, the mother of the fifteen year old girl walked past the man and his eyes opened wide. He reached into his coat and slowly pulled something out. Time seemed to slow down as Cameron realized what it was.

"GUN!!!" Cameron shouted, rushing towards the woman. She tackled her to the floor just as two shots flew over her head and smashed into the wall. Panic erupted and everyone in the room started running out of the building as the man continued to shoot at whomever he could. Cameron got up to a crouching position and pulled the woman up as well. She looked around for somewhere safe but she couldn't see anything. All at once, the man spotted them.

"You're going to die, Amanda!" He shouted, firing off his gun. Amanda screamed in fear as the bullets missed again. Cameron stood up and dragged Amanda towards the elevator. Suddenly, a loud bang echoed in the room and horrible pain burned Cameron's left arm. Cameron had been hit by a bullet.

"Oh God!" Amanda screamed as Cameron fell. The man turned to her and said, "You're gonna die Amanda."

Just as he raised his gun, someone shot at him. The shooter turned and faced another man who also had a gun. "Drop it!" The second man shouted.

"No!" The shooter shouted back. Immediately they began firing at each other, starting a war in the hospital clinic. Cameron lay sprawled on the floor, the room spinning around her when a voice suddenly said, "Cameron, come on. We have to move." A strong pair of arms wrapped around her and pulled her up. "Mrs. Kimberly, we have to get out of here." The voice told Amanda.

"Okay." Amanda replied fearfully, getting to her feet.

"Chase?" Cameron questioned.

"Yeah, it's me. We're getting into the elevator Cameron. You're going to be fine." Chase assured her, helping her into the elevator. Amanda stepped in at the same time and Chase hit the button for the third floor. The doors shut on the terrible scene in the clinic and the elevator began propelling upwards.

"Is my daughter alright?" Amanda asked Chase.

"Yeah, she's fine. We're going to her room Mrs. Kimberly and we're going to get her." Chase replied.

"Why is this happening?" Amanda asked aloud.

"I don't know." Chase answered. "I don't know."

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All rights to House M.D. belong to Fox; I am simply borrowing the characters for a little ride of my own design. Please review if you have something nice to say about this, or if you want to say how much you hate it. Thanks:

_Hooded Kaio Ghost_


	2. Chapter 2

Welcome to chapter 2 of A Long December! Thank you all so much for reviewing, it really made me so happy!

Disclaimer: I do not own House M.D. and I am not just saying this because it's fun. I really do not own it!

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_How I wish, how I wish you were here.  
We're just two lost souls  
Swimming in a fish bowl,  
Year after year,  
Running over the same old ground.  
What have we found?  
The same old fears.  
Wish you were here. –Pink Floyd_

Dr. Eric Foreman sat at a table just a block away from the hospital, sipping absent-mindedly on a coffee. He had taken a break from work for just a few minutes since he'd been working all night on a case and it was taking a lot out of him. Just as he took another sip of his coffee, the news came on the TV overhead.

"We have a just received a breaking story. A gunman has entered the Princeton Plainsborough Teaching Hospital."

Foreman nearly choked on his coffee and immediately looked up to watch. "The gunman in question fired off several shots which seemed to be aimed at no one in particular. Most of the building is empty, but the SWAT teams have not been able to enter due to a bomb threat made by the gunman over the phone. We will now turn this story over to Karen Drakes who is reporting live at the scene. Karen? Are you there?"

The screen shifted to a blonde woman with a microphone, standing amongst a group of hospital workers. "I'm here, Jeff. The police have not been able to locate the gunman in the building, but what they can say is that the gunman has threatened to detonate a bomb if the police try to enter. He also says that he wants revenge on someone who hurt him: Very cryptic remarks with absolutely no answers. No one has been hurt by the shooting in the Princeton's clinic, but there is no way to tell who is left in the building and who the gunman is going after." Karen turned to a small woman with brown hair.

"Hello. I'm Karen Drakes. Can I ask you a few questions?" Karen asked the woman, who nodded in response.

"Did you see the gunman?"

"Yes, I did. He was tall and he had really greasy hair. He was also wearing a trench coat and he looked lost." The woman told Karen.

"Did you see him fire his weapon?"

"Yes. He fired it at this woman whose daughter was admitted last night. It was lucky that one of our doctors knocked the woman down or she might have died!" The woman shuddered, clutching her arm.

"Have you seen the woman recently?"

"No, I don't remember seeing her. She was wearing a brown shirt and skirt and she had curly brown hair. But I can't remember anything else." The woman sighed, shaking her head.

"Thank you ma'am. Police are trying to take a head count out in the courtyard of the hospital and are requesting that people stay out of this area, so they can tell who is still in the building. Back to you Jeff."

Foreman didn't hear what she said; he'd gone running down the street towards the hospital. There were traffic jams all around the hospital and people who were searching frantically for those that they knew. Foreman pushed hard through the crowds and made it to the hospital courtyard but was stopped by police.

"I'm sorry sir, you can't come in here." An officer told him.

"No, you don't understand! I work here! I have to make sure my friends are alright!" Foreman argued.

"Let me see your hospital id sir." The officer ordered. Foreman handed it over to him.

"Hmm…this looks legit. Where have you been?" The officer asked Foreman.

"I was on a break. Look, I need to get in here and find my co-workers. I have to know if they're okay!" Foreman said.

The officer nodded. "Alright. But you need to stay in the courtyard right now sir, we have to make sure all the hospital staff and patients are accounted for."

"Of course." Foreman replied, moving past the officer and looking around. "Chase! Cameron!" He searched the crowd for the Aussie and the slender brunette. Suddenly, he caught sight of Dr. James Wilson and ran to him.

"Foreman! Thank God! I thought you were still in the building!" Wilson told Foreman.

"Good to see you too Wilson. Have you seen Chase and Cameron?" Foreman asked.

Wilson shook his head. "I haven't seen them yet." Seeing the expression on Foreman's face, Wilson quickly added, "But I'm sure they'll turn up. After all, this is a big crowd."

"Yeah. They're both smart; they'll know what to do." Foreman said, trying to convince himself.

"Yeah." Wilson echoed. Just then, he saw Dr. Gregory House in the crowd and shouted at him. "House! Over here!"

House looked towards him and hobbled over. "It's a bit crowded isn't it? Now either we're entering flu season early or somebody's giving out free stuff."

Foreman looked surprised. "You don't know what happened?"

"What? Did aliens invade the earth? Yes of course I know what happened, you idiot!" House insulted him. Foreman rolled his eyes.

"Have you seen Chase or Cameron?" Wilson asked House.

"Nope. Why? Are they missing?" House inquired.

"Well, we can't seem to find them." Wilson replied.

"Hmm…do you think it has something to do with all the people out here?" House asked sarcastically.

"Don't be an ass. We're concerned for Chase and Cameron, that's all." Foreman said.

"Sure you are. And people are really concerned about world peace."

"People are concerned with world peace." Wilson pointed out.

"Oh. Well, that's good for the world then. Call me when it actually happens." House said, leaning against his cane.

"I hope Chase and Cameron are okay." Foreman spoke nervously.

"Would you quit worrying? They're smart enough to get out of any crap they get into!" House roughly assured Foreman.

"I hope you're right." Foreman replied, gazing at the ominous shadow that the hospital cast over the courtyard. "I hope you're right."

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Once again, thanks to everyone who reviewed! It really has made me happy! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and review again! Although, if you didn't like it, you don't have to review; or you could review and just fill my inbox up with hate mail! But that would defeat the purpose of constructive criticism anyways!

With Lots of Love,

_Hooded Kaio Ghost. _


	3. Chapter 3

Here is Chapter Three of A Long December. I hope you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own House M.D. or anything related to it. I just like to write about it!

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_There's a dark cloud that's hanging above, memories never lie  
Still we talk about the way that it was  
and I think we both know the feeling hasn't died_

— _I Wasn't the One to Say Goodbye, Peter Cetera & Agnetha Faltskog _

Marie Kimberly was a fairly plain girl. She wasn't one to be looked at by any of the guys at her high school; not compared to some of the hot girls that they could get with. Marie was also a bit of a goody two-shoes, which didn't make her many friends. And she had weird habits, like eating the pizza crust before the pizza and refusing to eat peanut butter anything. That was three strikes on her and she was out. It was even worse when she was swimming at the public pool last night and had a heart attack, which nearly caused her to drown. So now she was in a hospital room, hiding from some unknown killer. She was too weak to attempt running away when the shots rang out downstairs, and the doctors _had_ told her to stay put. So she closed the miniblinds in her room and hid next to her bed, hoping that whoever had the gun would go away.

"Mom, where are you?" Marie whispered, curling her feet under her. "I don't want to be by myself."

Just then, she heard footsteps out in the hallway. Marie's eyes widened with fear, and she looked around for something to use as a weapon. Her gaze stopped on a chair in the corner of the room. She got up and moved with her IV stand to the chair, picking it up and cautiously moving back next to her bed. She hid again and prayed that she would be alright. Suddenly, the door to her room opened. Marie's pulse quickened and she gripped the chair, slowly peering over the top of her bed.

"Mom!" Marie cried, seeing her mother in the doorway. Her mother hurried over to her and hugged her tightly. "Oh baby, oh baby, I'm so glad you're okay." Her mother whispered to her.

"Who are they?" Marie asked, seeing two people come in: a tall blonde man and a small brown-haired woman who was holding onto him.

"Sweetie, this is Doctor Chase and Doctor Cameron." Her mother said.

"Oh my gosh! She's bleeding!" Marie said, pointing at the bullet hole in Cameron's arm. "Mom! She's bleeding!"

"I know. Someone shot her." Mrs. Kimberly told her daughter.

"So there really is someone down there?" Marie asked, shivering.

"Yes, there is." Mrs. Kimberly replied.

"She can have my bed." Marie said, getting up and making room for Cameron. Chase helped Cameron over and set her on the hospital bed. "Thank you." Cameron said to Marie.

"It's okay. Is there still a bullet in her?" Marie inquired.

Chase shook his head. "No. It went right through. But there's a lot of blood." He moved over to the medicine cabinet next to the bed and pulled out some bandages. "I'm going to wrap your arm up to stop the bleeding Cameron."

Cameron nodded. "Okay."

She winced as Chase carefully cleaned and bandaged her arm up, and tried not cry: She didn't want to frighten Mrs. Kimberly or her daughter. Finally, Chase was finished. "It looks alright. Just be careful when you move it."

"Thank you Doctor Chase." Cameron said, giving him a look and getting off the bed.

"Well? Can we get out of here?" Mrs. Kimberly asked.

"Yeah, let's get going." Chase opened the door and motioned for everyone to get out. They started walking down the hallway, trying to stay quiet.

"Mom, I don't feel very good." Marie told her mother.

"That's alright sweetheart, seeing all that blood made me feel sick too." Mrs. Kimberly replied.

"No, it's not my stomach. It's my chest; it really hurts!" Marie complained.

"You'll be okay." Her mother said.

"No, I'm serious, it really…" Marie stopped talking and suddenly stood still. Her mother stopped and looked at her. "Baby? Are you okay?"

Marie opened her mouth to speak and suddenly fell over. Mrs. Kimberly started and shouted, "Oh God! What's wrong with her?!"

Chase and Cameron hurried to Marie, who was lying on the floor. They picked her up and started moving her back into the hospital room. "What is wrong with my daughter?" Mrs. Kimberly asked loudly, coming in after them.

"She's going into cardiac arrest!" Cameron told her.

"Paddles!" Chase said, reaching out his hands. Cameron handed him the paddles. Chase watched her heart rate on the screen next to the bed, "Clear!" he shouted, shocking her heart with the paddles. "Charging….clear!" He shocked her heart again. Her heart rate stopped dropping and returned to normal. Both doctors breathed a sigh of relief.

"Is she alright?" Mrs. Kimberly asked.

"She's fine, but I don't think we're going to be leaving anytime soon." Chase replied.

"Why not?" Mrs. Kimberly asked again.

"Because. She's in a coma." Chase stated calmly.

Mrs. Kimberly's mouth dropped. "A coma? But her heart rate went back to normal! She should be awake!"

"Her heart stopped Mrs. Kimberly: She was technically dead for a few minutes. Her body is trying to deal with this and having a heart attack last night. She's only in a coma so her body can heal." Cameron assured her.

"So she'll come out?" Mrs. Kimberly asked.

"Probably." Cameron replied.

"When?"

Cameron looked sympathetically at her. "I don't know."

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Meanwhile…the first gunmen had shot the other gunman several times in the chest. He stared at the bloodied corpse sprawled on the floor with blank eyes. Slowly he turned and moved towards the nurse's desk in the clinic and picked up the phone. He dialed 911 and waited for someone to pick up.

"911, what's your emergency?" A woman answered.

"I am at the Princeton Plainsboro hospital. Put me through to whoever is in charge of the case here." The man ordered her.

"May I ask your name sir?" The woman asked.

"No. All you need to know is that I am the gunman in the building and I want to talk to the captain of the police." The man replied. "Now put me through."

"Right away sir."

After a moment of silence, a man's deep voice said, "This is Captain Terrance."

"Hello Captain. I am the gunman at the Princeton Plainsboro Hospital." The gunman told him. There was silence on the phone.

"What do you want?" The Captain asked.

"I am not going to tell you. What I will say is that I am doing this for revenge on someone who has hurt me." The gunman said.

"I need more information!" The Captain said urgently.

"You are getting as much as you need for the moment. What you need to know is that I have a bomb, and if anyone tries to enter the building, I will detonate it. Believe me, I will." The gunman waited a moment and then hung up. He took a deep breath and slowly began to patrol the hallways, looking for his target.

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Sorry that it took so long to update everyone! I really have been trying to update faster, it just takes a long time to get a chapter just right! But it's up now. Have a great day!

Love Always,

_Hooded Kaio Ghost_.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, so I've been thinking about this story a lot, and I'm pretty sure I know where it's going. I just need to get it written down so you guys know it too. I hope this chapter will make you happy, cause' then I'll feel like I've done a good job. So here it goes.

Disclaimer: I don't own House M.D. I am just borrowing the characters for this story. Please don't sue me!

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_It's the heart afraid of breaking  
that never learns to dance.  
It's the dream afraid of waking  
that never takes the chance.  
It's the one who won't be taken,  
who cannot seem to give,  
and the soul afraid of dyin'  
that never learns to live. _

–_The Rose, Bette Midler._

Chase leaned against the wall, his eyes closed in thought. He wondered if they were ever going to get out of this hospital. Marie couldn't be carried in the state she was in, her mother certainly wasn't going to leave her daughter, and being here was probably the worst idea that was ever birthed. He opened his eyes. Amanda stood next to her daughter, biting her fingernails and staring nervously at Marie's tranquil face. Cameron sat on the chair next to the bed; she was rubbing her bandaged arm and blinking back tears. Chase had forgotten that she'd been shot. Where she had found the strength to perform her duties while in that kind of pain was beyond him. Cameron looked up at him and attempted a smile. Chase tried to smile back but he couldn't bring himself to.

"Are you okay?" Cameron asked Chase.

He looked at her with astonishment all over his face. "Cameron, you're in pain. You shouldn't be worried about me."

"Well, I am. Can you hand me a pill?" Cameron asked.

"Yeah." Chase walked over to the medicine cabinet and began to search. He found a bottle of pain reliever which he handed to Cameron, who opened it and swallowed a pill. Then for good measure, she swallowed another one.

"Here." Cameron said, handing the bottle back. "I'll be fine now."

"Do you have your cell with you?" Chase inquired.

"No. I left in our meeting room." Cameron replied, breathing in frustration. "That would have helped out a lot."

"Don't feel too bad: I left mine too." Chase reassured her. They both looked at Amanda.

"What?" She said, looking at the two doctors.

"Do you have a cell phone?" Cameron asked her.

"No. I never have the money to pay for one. Besides, pay phones are more convenient." Amanda told them.

"So what do you do if there's an emergency and you're nowhere near a pay phone?" Chase asked.

"I walk until I find a pay phone." Amanda said, looking at Chase like he was a simpleton.

"Right." Chase said sarcastically, going back to leaning against the wall. Amanda went back to her daughter, gently stroking her hair. Cameron rubbed her arm again, trying to think about what to do. _'I have to do something; we can't just sit here and do nothing and wait until we're rescued. But what are we supposed to do?' _Suddenly, she had a thought.

"Chase?"

He turned and looked at her. "Yeah?"

"We can't just hide in here until someone comes to save us. Obviously, Marie can't be moved from where she is and we have no way of contacting anyone, so there's only one thing to do." Cameron stopped to take a breath. "You have to go and tell the police where we are. You have to let them know where we are so they can come get us."

"Why me?" Chase asked, feeling fear rise inside him.

"Amanda is not going to leave her daughter and one of us has to stay in case Marie's heart has trouble. Plus, I've been shot. If I go, they'll have to send me somewhere as a gunshot victim. You're fine. If you go, they'll keep you close to the hospital. You have to make sure the police come for us." Cameron told Chase, looking very earnest.

Chase breathed deeply. "You know what you're asking me right?"

Cameron nodded. "Yes."

"Alright. I'll go." Chase agreed.

"Okay, now we need to think of a plan."

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The man walked quietly down the hall, biting his lip nervously. _Suppose she got out? She will never be punished if she has. Don't lose hope! She is still here; I can sense her fear. She will receive her punishment. Don't lose hope._

He continued to walk, passing by many rooms. Just as he moved past one, a loud crash echoed from the room. He stopped suddenly, tightening his grip on the gun. He turned slowly and took hold of the doorknob. Without a warning, he opened the door.

"No! Don't kill me! Please don't kill me!"

A young girl was hiding behind the bed in the room. There was broken glass all over the floor. The girl's knuckles were white as she clutched the bed frame and her face was even whiter.

"I don't want you." The man said. "Where is she?"

"Who?" The girl asked.

"Where is she? Where is the lying murderer? Tell me where she is!" He growled, moving closer to the girl.

"I don't know who you're talking about! I don't know anything! Please don't hurt me!" She wailed, tears dripping down her cheeks.

Her cries would have made a sane person feel some sort of pity. He felt nothing. "Tell me where she is or I'll shoot you." He warned her.

She looked around the room in a panic before she looked back at him. "She's upstairs. I saw her go upstairs."

"Good." He started to withdraw and she covered her face in relief. Suddenly, he squeezed the trigger and a bullet sailed into her head. She was still a moment, as the blood spurted down her face, and then she fell, her long hair splaying onto the floor. He stared at her, wondering. _Upstairs? Yes, she said upstairs. I wonder if someone will burn her. She should be burned. Walking around like that doesn't look nice. _He turned around and left the room, leaving the door open.

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Okay, so this was very short, but this is just how my inspiration comes to me sometimes. Did anyone watch the new episode of House tonight? That was one of the scariest things that I've ever seen! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!!!

_Hooded Kaio Ghost_


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